Timothy Drewe
Timothy "Tim" Drewe was a tenant farmer at Downton, like his father before him. His family had been tenants, according to Lord Grantham, on the estate since the reign of King George III. He left Yew Tree Farm in 1925. Biography |-|Series 4= 1922 Mary Crawley and Tom Branson decide it is best to foreclose the lease on the Drewe family farm, Yew Tree, because the late Mr Drewe has not been paying the rent for a long time, an idea Robert is not very keen on. However, Drewe tells Lord Grantham at his father's funeral that he wishes to take up the tenancy and farm the land. When told that the case has been settled and nothing can be done, Drewe insists he was not aware of his father's debts and succeeds in persuading Robert to at least consider other options for him by citing his family's long history as tenants at Downton. Unfortunately Drewe is unable to pay the entire rent, but by again bringing up his family's long "partership" with Downton Abbey, Robert decides to lend him the rest of the money. He leaves out this fact when announcing Drewe is staying on, insisting "If we don't respect the past, we'll find it harder to build a future." Isobel applauds Robert for his wish to be "partners" with the farmers. Mary, at Robert's suggestion, tells Drewe he will be staying on, at which he lets slip her father lent him the rest of the money to cover his father's debt. She herself decides not to confront her father, citing to Tom that if her father felt so strongly about Drewe to loan him the money, then he is a very decent man. By the time Downton enters a new venture, pig farming, Drewe seems to be doing quite well. Drewe is offered and accepts responsibility for all of Downton's pigs. Evelyn Napier makes an unpleasant remark about Drewe, to which Edith defends him. Edith, pregnant with the child of her lover Michael Gregson, considers giving the child to Drewe. But her aunt Rosamund cites reasons for this idea being too risky: Drewe might talk, and suspicion might arise if Edith is seen at the farm too much or if the child greatly resembles her. 2013 Christmas Special Edith cannot bear being apart from her daughter, so in 1923 she decides to approach Drewe. At first, she does not fully explain the situation, but Drewe figures it out and agrees to keep her secret. He plans to make up a story about the child's origins so not even his wife will know by writing a letter to himself saying the girl was the daughter of a friend of his who passed away and has asked him to take care of her. |-|Series 5= 1924 Edith's continued visits to Yew Tree begin to arouse the suspicions of Drewe's wife Margie. She tells him she thinks Edith has a soft spot for him, to which he scoffs. Nevertheless he realizes something has to be done. At an award ceremony at his son Peter's school attended by himself, Edith, Tom Branson, Rose MacClare, and Sarah Bunting, he asks Edith to meet him later. He tells her of Margie's suspicions and revealing to Edith that he knows Marigold is her daughter. But he assures her he will tell no one and that it is not his place to judge her. When Edith asks him if he feels she should control her feelings, Tim says he could say that but he does not feel it right for her to. He assures her that it is important for a mother to love her child, and instead proposes a way needs to be found for Edith "to live the truth, without telling the truth." Tim is head of the local fire brigade, which is called to Downton when a fire breaks out (accidentally caused by Edith). They manage to subdue the fire before any significant damage beyond Edith's room is done. Tim tells Edith he has come up with an idea for her to take a greater interest in "little Marigold" but does not say what it is. Unfortunately Mrs Hughes overhears their conversation, and she and Tim make eye contact. He suggests Edith become a benefactor/godmother to Marigold, which his wife objects to because her sister was named godmother at Marigold's christening. He is unhappy with her being impolite, but she tells him she feels Edith is treating Marigold like a doll and may lose interest. He assures her Edith will not lose interest but does not say why. Later Margie angrily tells him Marigold is their child and Edith cannot have her. He tries to reason with her, but when she accuses him of being soft for Edith, he becomes angry and accuses her of being soft in the head. He later goes to Downton and tells Edith she needs to stay away from Yew Tree for a while. After Edith learns that Michael Gregson is indeed dead, she visits the Drewe's home for last time and both she and Tim reveal the whole truth to Margie that Edith is in fact Marigold's biological mother. Margie refuses to believe at first and tries to fight the fact, but in the end tearfully and reluctantly lets Edith take Marigold. Violet later comes to the farm asking about Edith after she runs away, but Mr Drewe tells her he does not know where she has gone, and has nothing further to say. Later, after Cora learns the truth about Marigold and finds Edith in London, she calls Mr Drewe and asks him for his help in arranging a plan for Marigold to grow up at Downton under Edith's guardianship. He goes to the train station to meet them there and take Marigold, after which Cora and Edith will tell the family he and his wife have reluctantly concluded they cannot afford to raise her. Mary is there however, so Edith calls to Mr Drewe to "help" her mother with her bags, but to take Marigold to the next station so Mary won't see her. She promises to cover his cost. Anna is there too, and sees him with Marigold as the train goes off. She speaks to Mrs Hughes, who tells her not to speculate any further. |-|Series 6= 1925 Drewe is asked by Lady Mary to send pigs to compete in a contest in Moulton. During this visit, George, Marigold, Edith, and Cora go as well to see the pigs. Due to Marigold's presence, there is tension between Mr Drewe, Cora, and Edith. This tension is worsened by the arrival of Mrs Drewe, who has still not gotten over Marigold. Robert asks Mr Drewe if Mrs Drewe is affected by Marigold's presence. At the pig show in Moulton, Downton's pigs win the contest, but the news is overshadowed by the disappearance of Marigold, who went with them to the pig show. Mr Drewe notices that Mrs Drewe is missing, and concludes that Mrs Drewe took Marigold to Yew Tree Farm. After Mr Drewe calmly convinces an almost equally calm Mrs Drewe, Marigold is returned to Edith, and Mr Drewe makes a decision to leave Yew Tree Farm, due to Mrs Drewe's obsession with Marigold not waning even after around nine months. Appearances External Links #Downton Abbey Series 4 (Season 4), Episode 5 Recap: Secrets Revealed! at Heroes and Heartbreakers Drewe, Timothy Category:Drewe family members Category:Farmers Category:The Middle